Category: U.S. Senate

Updated at 9:47 a.m. to add Harry Reid as co-sponsor: WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray are taking another stab to make sales-tax deductions a permanent part of the tax code. The two Washington Democrats, along with six seven colleagues, on Thursday evening introduced a bill seeking to end the frequent expirations — and subsequent renewals…

WASHINGTON — President Obama has said he will veto it and it may not get built anytime soon even if approved. But the bill to greenlight the Canadian Keystone XL pipeline project passed out of a Senate committee Thursday as the first display of Republican legislative muscle in the 114th Congress. The vote was 13 to 9…

The U.S. Senate Tuesday night passed a last-minute bill extending dozens of temporary tax breaks, including the one that allows Washington state residents to deduct sales taxes on their federal tax returns. The vote was 76-16. The bill would enable millions of businesses and individuals to claim the tax breaks on their 2014 tax returns. Beyond this…

Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell sent out a fundraising appeal Wednesday morning for fellow Sen. Mary Landrieu, the embattled Louisiana Democrat fighting to retain her seat in a runoff election. Cantwell’s appeal, part of a national Democratic “moneybomb,” praised Landrieu as “a critical ally over the years… an ally I’m counting on in the years to…

UPDATED AT 11:09 A.M. WITH EXCERPTS of CANTWELL’S SPEECH: WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, one of most vocal advocates in Congress for an open Internet, on Wednesday called on Congress to ensure that “net neutrality is the law of the land.” The Washington Democrat’s remarks on the Senate floor came after President Obama earlier this month waded into the…

WASHINGTON — Sen. Patty Murray and her fellow Democratic leaders on Monday urged President Obama to stick to his resolve to act unilaterally on immigration reform, which has incensed conservatives and triggered threats of another government shutdown. In a letter to Obama, the lawmakers say immigrant communities have waited long enough for House Republicans…

Corrected on Sept. 22, 2014 UPDATED AT 3:06 p.m. with comment from Cantwell’s campaign: WASHINGTON — Vice President Joe Biden will attend a fundraiser in Seattle next month to benefit a new joint fundraising committee created by Sen. Maria Cantwell and three other female Democratic senators up for election this year. The Oct. 9 event will…

WASHINGTON — Making good on her threat Tuesday, Sen. Maria Cantwell has introduced a bill to deny tax-exempt status to sports leagues that allow its franchise teams to use the term “redskins.” Thursday’s bill follows the Washington Democrat’s earlier pledge to strip the National Football League of its nonprofit status over Commissioner Roger Goodell’s inaction so far…

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on Tuesday said she plans to introduce a bill to strip the National Football League of its tax-exempt status over its refusal so far to force the Washington Redskins to change the team’s name. Speaking at a news conference at the Capitol as part of the “Change the…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Wednesday reauthorized the nation’s main jobs-training bill, updating the Clinton-era legislation to help Americans — particularly disadvantaged youth and laid-off workers — prepare for an increasingly-skilled labor market. The six-year reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) passed by a 95-3 vote. The legislation expired in 2003 and Congress has been…

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Politics Northwest is the go-to blog for politics in our region. The blog explores national, state and local political news and issues. Reporters from Washington, D.C., to Seattle City Hall to the state capital in Olympia contribute. Editors are Richard Wagoner and Beth Kaiman.